Remember the last time your child scribbled on the walls with a permanent marker? Did you reprimand and perhaps punish the child for this misdemeanor? If not at the first instance, then you probably did punish the child when he did it for the second or third time.

Remember the last time one of your friends spoke ill of you in your absence? When her crass comments and hurtful remarks reached your ears, did you choose to overlook and forgive? If you did, then what happened when she continued to behave in this manner? In all probability, you ‘wrote her off as a friend’ and decided to move on. Even if this friend thereafter came to you and begged your forgiveness, you may have forgiven her, but it’s unlikely that you will forget the manner in which she stabbed you in the back.

Essentially, most people are only tolerant to a certain extent, after which they become impatient and cease to exercise tolerance. Hence, we need to ponder over and take lesson from the tolerance of Allah Ta‘ala.

How many times have we blatantly disobeyed Allah Ta‘ala, yet how many of His invaluable bounties do we still enjoy? Perhaps years have passed with some people failing to perform even the fardh salaah, yet Allah Ta‘ala still feeds them, clothes them, allows them to enjoy good health, and if they raise their hands and cry to Him in earnest, begging forgiveness, then He will not only readily forgive them but even erase every record of the sin!

Hence, let us resolve to try and show people tolerance, just as we enjoy tolerance from Allah Ta‘ala. If we tolerate the harm of people for the sake of Allah Ta‘ala, He will reward us greatly, in this world and the next.